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FUN after-school program opens pool

By Nancy Rineman

Atlantic News, September 16, 1999

[The following article is courtesy of the Atlantic News ]

EVERYBODY INTO THE POOL! -- This brand new swimming pool which is part of the FUNAfter School Program was opened last week. Staffed by 27 employees, the pool will beavailable for after school hours for the month of September with a Winnacunnet HSstudent on duty each day. [Nancy Rineman photo]

HAMPTON—Children enrolled in the Fun After School Program had good reason to hurry off their school buses at the end of the day last week. After many weeks of waiting and watching, staff and children alike finally began using the facility’s much talked about swimming pool.

Tucked safely away on Stickney Terrace, next to the Hampton Post Office, the 25-by-60-ft. in-ground pool was the ideal spot for the unusually warm and early start to the school year. And the close to twenty kids splashing and squealing in delight were a true testimonial to a project well done.

During the summer, FUN directors Mary Hollis and Lorie Sanderson oversee a staff of 27 employees in a program which sometimes boasts as many as 70 children a day. Originally an after-school program, the Center has developed into a year-round entity, with a summer camp which includes jobs for 13 teenagers. The day care center is licensed for children kindergarten age through age 16, and offers the hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the summer. Currently, the school is realizing its capacity of 99 children for the after-school session.

Hollis said the idea to add a swimming pool materialized two years ago, with original plans calling for an enclosed pool for town and high school use. Although the end result is more of a seasonal affair, Hollis said Winnacunnet team members could still use the facility’s newest addition with the water depth varying from 3 ft. to 5 ft.

Since the opening of the pool hit a few unexpected snags along the way, the Center’s summer lifeguard returned to college almost before the pool’s opening day. For FUN had no trouble securing a WHS student for after school for the month of September, and already the talk has turned to “just wait ‘til next year!”